Times of Trenton Letters to the Editor - Sept. 17

If you hear the rhetoric spewed by the Democratic Party, you probably think that we are on the road to recovery. Wrong! According to a new World Economic Forum survey, the U.S. has received yet another downgrade, this time in global competitiveness, from No.1 under President George W. Bush down to No. 7 under President Barack Obama.

From 2008 to 2012, our unemployment rate went up from 7.8 percent to 8.3 percent, with thousands of people who just gave up looking for work. The median income went down from $54,983 to $50,964, a gallon of gas went up from $1.84 to $3.82 and the national debt grew from $6 trillion to $16 trillion, with no remedy in sight.

Americans, if you love your country and value your freedom, vote for the Romney/Ryan ticket this Nov. 6.

-- Janet Angelini,
Hamilton

I hope this nice guy will finish second

I had a panic attack forced on me the other day by the realization that, indeed, President Barack Obama may win re-election. This unfortunate turn of events was caused by watching the president allow a pizza guy to give him a bear hug; the secret service once again must have been dreaming about other things. I am certain the pizza guy will go on to his 15 minutes of fame not unlike Joe the Plumber in 2008.

Personally, I prefer the sage advice of a local wag who once railed against the mayor of our town at that time, saying that he preferred competence over Mr. Nice Guy. I concur and therefore have absolutely no intention of voting for the incumbent president, who clearly has abdicated any claims to the competency vote.

While here in New Jersey the coming election for president is a foregone conclusion, out there in the hinterlands it remains “undecided.”

For my part, I am going to take an aspirin as the mainstream media try to convince us what a nice guy we have in the Oval Office and trust that the people of this magnificent, exceptional country will, once again, do the right thing.

-- David W. Thompson,
Ewing

Unite against Citizens United

On Sept. 10, the Princeton Township Committee unanimously passed a resolution to support a call for a constitutional amendment to overturn the Citizens United decision. I would like to extend my appreciation to the committee for taking this action.

I believe that living in a democracy means that the size of an individual’s wallet should not determine the strength of his or her voice in our elections and in policy-making. The passage of the resolution in Princeton will provide support to our state lawmakers to pass similar resolutions and become the eighth state to do so.

By supporting a constitutional amendment reversing Citizens United, New Jersey citizens can fight to get back our democracy. The Legislature is considering two resolutions (SR47 and AR86) calling for overturning by constitutional amendment the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision. This amendment would firmly establish that money is not speech and that human beings, not corporations, are persons entitled to constitutional rights.

To join this action, I ask readers to call their legislators to urge them to co-sponsor SR47 and AR86 so they can be sent to the Congress as soon as possible. Readers can also add their names to the petition (16,000 New Jersey voters’ signatures have already been presented to our legislators) by going to signon.org/sign/nj-for-the-overturn-of.

-- Susan Colby,
Princeton

AID seeks security for pets it places

I’m writing in support of Animals in Distress, which I believe was unjustly berated in the article “For the love of Lois” (Sept. 1). Pat Soltis, president of the nonprofit, is one of the most caring, kind-hearted people I have ever had the pleasure of knowing, and her boundless love for animals is at the heart of her organization.

Every adoptive applicant, regardless of age, health or financial situation, is asked what will happen to the cat if anything happens to him or her. I am a healthy 25-year-old and an AID supporter since my teens, yet, when I adopted my cat, Hubble, in February, I faced the same level of scrutiny as did Geraldine Faille, the elderly woman in the article who was put off by that question. I was able to prove that I could provide a stable home for Hubble, so my adoption was approved.

I also find it ironic that the article cried discrimination, when Ms. Faille is guilty of discrimination herself. Nobody wants to adopt the older cats. Everybody wants a kitten. The elderly cats are just as lonely, as desperate for companionship as Ms. Faille, yet she, like so many others, snubbed her nose at them because they aren’t young. My cat, Hypatia, was 9 when I adopted her, and I am sure I will never have a closer feline companion in my life.

I am proud that my cats are from AID, and all future ones will be, as well. I hope that my fellow cat lovers will join me in supporting an organization that strives to give their cats the best home possible.

-- Kate Jacobs,
Hamilton

Lempert for Princeton’s future

Liz Lempert is my choice for mayor of the new consolidated Princeton. It is not her experience as deputy mayor and township committeeperson that makes her my choice. It is not her record of fiscal responsibility, keeping the municipal tax rate flat for the past two years, that makes her my choice. Nor is it her commitment to environmental sustainability and social services.

To me, Ms. Lempert exemplifies what I see as the new Princeton leader: a thoughtful listener, a skillful synthesizer, a committed collaborator. She understands where we have been and where we need to go. During the next few years, as we settle into one Princeton, we will face some challenges, and we may hear some “I told you so’s.” When that happens, we need a mayor firmly faced forward, a mayor who respects our past but who is committed to our united future. Ms. Lempert is that leader.

-- Anne Burns,
Princeton

Obama helps country every which way he can

Over the past month, I have received a barrage of partisan “Coffee with Haley” e-mails from Gov. Haley Barbour. As a lifelong Democrat, I have no idea why I am getting e-mail messages from a hard-line, doctrinaire Republican.

In one recent e-mail, Mr. Barbour asked, “Why can’t President Obama run on his record?”

This is my answer to Mr. Barbour, and anyone else who asks why the president isn’t running on his record.

President Obama is running on his record: millions of new jobs; rescue of the auto industry; health-care reform — particularly the end of “pre-existing condition” qualifications and lifetime caps; improved health care for women, particularly in the area of reproductive health; sensitivity and responsiveness to women’s issues in general; initial steps to end or renegotiate potential foreclosures; advances for veterans and their families; ending the war in Iraq; and, of course, the killing of terrorist Enemy Number One, Osama bin Laden.

Is that enough for Mr. Barbour?

In the words of Maryland’s governor: “Gov. Romney wants to take America back.” Back to what? Trickle-down economics? Reaganomics? The Laffer curve of taxable income elasticity?

If Mr. Barbour can refute these results, he can go ahead and make my day.